Immortality and the Moon Rabbit

I was always guided to see a human face on the moon, and I was surprised to find out that many people see a rabbit in the moon. A rabbit that has a surprising connection to immortality.

In Chinese legends, the moon rabbit stands with a mortar and pestle and grinds herbs for his immortal companion, Chang’e, the moon goddess. In Japan and Korea, moon rabbit is simply smashing rice for rice cakes.

The Rabbit In the Moon

Those cultures have swapped technologies, ideas and even religions. The cultures admire and wish for long life, but only China’s Moon Rabbit concerns itself with the eternal. Why the difference?